TOKYO, Feb. 19, 01 (CWNews.com/Fides) - Father Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Melkite Catholic priest involved in education for Palestinian and Jewish children, has been awarded the Buddhist Niwano Prize for 2001. The prize, consisting of 20 million yen, (about $173,000), will be presented during a solemn ceremony in Tokyo, on May 10.
The award is assigned annually to individuals or institutes for outstanding activity in the field of peace, reconciliation, interreligious dialogue, nonviolence, or human rights. The Niwano Foundation was established in 1978 by Nikkyo Niwano, a Japanese Buddhist who devoted his life to world peace and was a pioneer in interreligious dialogue. Niwano was also among the founders of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. With the goal of promoting a culture of peace, the Niwano Foundation organizes grants, research, lectures, and symposia and international exchanges.
Father Chacour was chosen from about 1,000 candidates proposed by individuals and organizations representing 125 countries and various religions. On receiving the news, the Palestinian priest said: "I am both delighted and honored. I accept this prestigious prize with gratitude and consider it a sign of encouragement. The Niwano Peace Foundation is a sign of hope for humanity."
Father Chacour, 61, has dedicated himself over the last thirty-plus years to efforts for reconciliation between Jews and Palestinians in Israel. He is the founder of Mar Elias Educational Institutions which today have a combined enrollment of 4,000 pupils. These centers are seen as a kind of oasis where young people, whether Christians, Jews, or Muslims, can study and work with one another to build a common future. The institutions provide a meeting ground for practical training toward peaceful coexistence based on religious pluralism and dialogue. "International agreements are only signatures on pieces of paper. Through our education we want to reach agreement in the hearts of the younger generation, the leaders of tomorrow," Father Chacour explained.
Born in 1939 at Biram, a village in Upper Galilee in Arab Palestine, to a Palestinian Christian family who are members of the Melkite Catholic Church, at the age of eight he and his family suffered the trauma of being evicted by the arrival of Jewish immigrants and becoming refugees in their own homeland. Instead of growing up with a grudge on his shoulder and resorting to revenge, Father Chacour understands the suffering of the Jews who had been the victims of the Nazi persecution, and with Jewish friends he strives to break the cycle of suspicion and brutal hatred and work for reconciliation between the two peoples.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
19. februar 2001